DAYTON — The Wright State women's basketball concludes its regular-season road schedule against Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday, February 16, and Cleveland State on Saturday, February 18. Thursday's game will air on ESPN+ at 5 p.m., while the Raiders and Vikings will play at 2 p.m. on ESPN3. Live stats will also be available for both games. 

THE SLATE
Feb. 16 at Purdue Fort Wayne | 5 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes
Feb. 18 at Cleveland State | 2 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes

LAST TIME OUT
The Raiders are coming off a weekend split on the road, defeating Milwaukee 74-65 and losing to Green Bay 55-75. Senior guard Emily Chapman scored a season-high 28 points on 12-of-15 shooting and a 4-of-6 mark from deep at MKE. She surpassed 1,500 career points on a 3-pointer at the 7:27 minute mark of the third quarter. Cara VanKempen shined for WSU against the Phoenix, as she tied a season-high in points with 11 and added seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.

SCOUTING THE 'DONS
Purdue Fort Wayne is 10-16 on the season and 7-9 in Horizon League play. The Mastodons held a 7-6 record against conference opponents after taking down Youngstown State 67-65 on February 2. However, PFW has lost three games in a row to drop to sixth in the conference standings.

Junior guard Amellia Bromenschenkel leads the 'Dons in scoring (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg), while all-conference guard Shayla Sellers is averaging 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. As a team, Purdue Fort Wayne tops the HL in turnovers forced per game (18.46) and steals per game (9.3) while ranking second in free throw percentage (73.3%) and blocks per game (3.3). 

HISTORY VS. PFW
WSU leads the all-time series 10-8. The Raiders fell to Purdue Fort Wayne 72-55 in the first meeting between the two schools on January 22. Emily Chapman scored a team-leading 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, while Kacee Baumhower totaled 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State is tied for first place in the Horizon League standings with a 24-3 overall record and a 14-2 mark against conference opponents. Iowa State, Green Bay, and Northern Kentucky are the only schools that have defeated the Vikings this season. 

CSU ranks first in the HL in several categories, including points per game (76.9), scoring margin (19.3), field goal percentage (43.9%), free throws made per game (17.93), rebounds per game (42.63), and blocks per game (3.8). First Team All-Horizon League guard Destiny Leo leads the team in scoring (18.6 ppg), while senior forward Brittni Moore is averaging 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.

HISTORY VS. CSU
Saturday's game will be the 84th career meeting between the two teams, with Wright State owning a 42-41 advantage in the all-time series. The Raiders fell to CSU 103-72 at home in January 2023. WSU broke a school record with 18 3-pointers in the loss. Lauren Scott, Kacee Baumhower, Bryce Nixon, Isabelle Bolender, Cara VanKempen, and Channing Chappell knocked down three 3-pointers apiece in the record-breaking performance.

SHOWING OFF RANGE
The Raiders rank third in the country and first in the HL with 9.8 3-pointers per game. Wright State has netted double-figure 3-pointers on 13 occasions, including eight times in its last 12 games. WSU made a school record 18 3-pointers versus Cleveland State (1/20) and added 15 threes (matched previous school) at Detroit Mercy (1/13) in the span. Seven players have netted 20-plus 3-pointers on the season, led by Bryce Nixon with 60 makes. 

CATCHING FIRE
Cara VanKempen opened the season 0-of-12 on 3-pointers over eight games. However, the senior forward has upped her 3-point average to 41.8% (23-of-55) on the season by shooting 53.5% (23-of-43) from deep in her last 18 games.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Lauren Scott earned the latest Horizon League Freshman of the Week (2/6) after averaging 11.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists over two games. The freshman guard shot 57.1 percent (8-of-14) overall, 50% (3-of-6) on 3-pointers, and 80% (4-of-5) on free throws in the span. She finished with a season-high 16 points in just 18 minutes of play against IUPUI (2/4) while adding seven points on 3-of-5 shooting in WSU's 80-70 victory over Northern Kentucky (2/2).

TOUGH TESTS
Thirteen of the 19 Division I opponents Wright State has faced this season boast winning records, which include seven teams in the NET top 100. WSU squared off against a pair of teams that reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 last season (Ohio State and Tennessee) during the non-conference portion of its schedule in addition to the Mid-American Conference's top-two teams (Toledo and Bowling Green).

SCORING THREAT
Bryce Nixon ranks second in the Horizon League in 3-point makes (60) and third in 3-pointers per game (2.31). The senior guard is averaging a team-high 11.8 points per game, highlighted by a career-best 24 points versus Southern Indiana (12/17), 23 points against NKU (2/2), and 20 points at Eastern Illinois (11/28). She has scored in double figures in 15 games, including eight times in conference play.

CHAP AT HER BEST
Emily Chapman has proven to be a threat in her first year with the Raiders, as she leads the team in 3-point shooting (46.1%), rebounding (3.4 rpg), assists (2.6 apg), and steals (1.0 spg) while ranking second in shooting percentage (50.6%) and scoring (9.4 ppg). The Proctorville, Ohio native poured in a season-best 28 points on 12-of-15 shooting at Milwaukee (2/10) and added 18 points at Tennessee (12/11). The 5-5 senior guard has been WSU's leading rebounder in five games and tallied four-plus assists in five of her last eight games.

FINDING A GROOVE
Kacee Baumhower has reached double-figure scoring in five consecutive games, including 12 times in her last 14 games. The sophomore guard is averaging a team-high 11.4 points per game against HL opponents, highlighted by a career-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting and a 5-of-6 clip on 3-pointers at Detroit Mercy (1/13). Baumhower leads the team in free throw makes (40) and free throw attempts (65) while also ranking second in rebounding (3.2 rpg), assists (2.0 apg), and blocks (0.3 bpg).

SHE'S JUST A FRESHMAN
Makiya Miller leads WSU freshmen in scoring (6.1 ppg), assists (1.6 apg), and minutes per game (21.2). The Reynoldsburg, Ohio native collected Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors (12/26) after averaging 7.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals over two games at the Hawk Classic in Philadelphia, Pa. She scored in double figures in her opening three games as a Raider, becoming the first freshman player in the last 17 seasons to do so.

TAKE NOTICE
Lauren Scott has shot 36.8% (21-of-57) on 3-pointers, good for fourth on the team. The freshman guard has gone an improved 15-of-28 (53.6%) from deep in home games, highlighted by 15 points on a 3-of-5 mark on threes against Cleveland State (1/20).

WRIGHT FIT
Bryce Nixon joined Wright State with 317 career points over four collegiate seasons (105 games). The transfer guard has totaled 307 points (11.8 ppg) in just 26 games with the Raiders.

UP NEXT
The Raiders will conclude their regular season at home against Oakland on Thursday, February 23, and Detroit Mercy on Saturday, February 25.